Ford's Chicago Plant Stops Production for Second Straight Day--Update
May 20 2020 - 4:15PM
Dow Jones News
By Ben Foldy and Mike Colias
Ford Motor Co. stopped assembly lines at its Chicago assembly
plant for the second straight day on Wednesday, an early indication
of the challenges the auto industry faces as production resumes
after a two-month shutdown due to the coronavirus crisis.
Ford sent workers at the Chicago Assembly Plant home in the late
morning Wednesday, two people familiar with the matter said. The
work stoppage came after a nearby Lear Corp. factory in Hammond,
Ind., which makes seats for the Ford factory, idled its assembly
lines earlier, the people said.
On Tuesday, Ford was forced to close the Chicago factory twice
for several hours after confirming two positive cases of Covid-19
at a nearby Ford facility, a company spokeswoman said. The plant,
which makes the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator sport-utility
vehicles, had been operating again Wednesday morning after parts of
the facility were disinfected overnight.
The reason for the closure of the Lear plant could not be
learned. A spokesman for Lear did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
The closures come after Detroit's auto makers on Monday began
restarting their U.S. factories, which were idled around March 20
as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. The companies have spent
several weeks preparing measures to ensure a safe work environment.
They include temperature checks, plastic barriers between work
stations and even electronic bracelets that beep if an employee
violates social-distancing rules.
Executives and analysts have warned that the industry's restart
will be slow and complex, including the risk of infections popping
up at auto makers' factories and at those of suppliers.
The car companies have resumed operations with far fewer workers
making vehicles in extremely small volumes as they gradually resume
operations. Executives have said production will start slowly as
workers familiarize themselves with safety measures, parts trickle
in from suppliers and machinery is tested after the long idle
period.
The two Ford employees had passed an initial temperature check
when they arrived for their shifts on Tuesday, the company
spokeswoman said. It was unclear how they later tested positive
during their work shifts, she said. Employees who had close contact
with the workers were asked to self-quarantine for two weeks.
"Due to incubation time, we know these employees did not
contract Covid-19 while at work," the spokeswoman said. "Our
protocols are in place to help stop the spread of the virus."
Ford experienced a troubled rollout last year of a redesigned
Explorer and the Aviator, a new SUV model, after a major overhaul
of the Chicago factory. Executives cited the problematic launch as
a major reason that Ford fell short of its profit target in 2019,
but have said the factory now is operating smoothly.
Write to Ben Foldy at Ben.Foldy@wsj.com and Mike Colias at
Mike.Colias@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 20, 2020 16:00 ET (20:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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